Pharmacological screening of species from the Lippia genus, content in terpenes and phenylpropanoids, and their vasorelaxing effects on human umbilical artery

Debora de Menezes Dantas; Luis Pereira-de Morais; Andressa de Alencar Silva; Renata Evaristo Rodrigues da Silva; Francisco Junio Dias; Thais de Sousa Amorim; Natália Cruz-Martins; Henrique Douglas Douglas Melo Coutinho; Roseli Barbosa

doi:10.2174/1381612829666221124101321

Pharmacological screening of species from the Lippia genus, content in terpenes and phenylpropanoids, and their vasorelaxing effects on human umbilical artery

Curr Pharm Des. 2022 Nov 24. doi: 10.2174/1381612829666221124101321. Online ahead of print.

Affiliations

¹ Biological Chemistry Department, Postgraduate Program in Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri, Pimenta Campus, 63105-010, Crato, CE, Brazil.
² Biological Sciences Department, Physiopharmacology of Excitable Cells Laboratory, Regional University of Cariri, Campus of Pimenta, 63105-010, Crato, CE, Brazil.
³ Biological Sciences Department, Physiopharmacology of Excitable Cells Laboratory, Regional University of Cariri, Campus of Pimenta, 63105-010, 63105, CE, Brazil.
⁴ Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
⁵ Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
⁶ Institute of Research and Advanced Training in Health Sciences and Technologies (CESPU), Rua Central de Gandra, 1317, 4585-116 Gandra PRD, Portugal.
⁷ TOXRUN - Toxicology Research Unit, University Institute of Health Sciences, CESPU, CRL, 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal.

PMID: 36424792
DOI: 10.2174/1381612829666221124101321

Abstract

Background: Naturally occurring bioactive compounds have a plethora of biological effects.

Objective: In this study, we examined a pharmacological screening of natural products on the human umbilical artery (HUA).

Methods: HUA preparations were used to follow contractions by KCl (60 mM) and tested at different concentrations (1-5000 μg/mL and μM) of the Lippia alba (EOLa) and Lippia origanoides (EOLo) essential oils, terpenes (citral, limonene perilic alcohol) and phenylpropanoids (eugenol, methyl eugenol). Discussion/Results: The reduction corresponded to approximately 100%, except for limonene (80±1.2 %). When evaluating the concentration of the natural product that promotes 50 % relaxation of the HUA contracted by KCL, EC50 values were: 424.3 μg/mL (EOLa); 468.7±6.7 μg/mL (EOLo); 264.2 ± 8.2 μM (citral); 677.8±5.4 μM (limonene); 186.3±6.4 μM (peryl alcohol); 986.4±7.9 μM (eugenol); and 279.1±4.4 μM (methyl-eugenol). Perillyl alcohol had a lower EC50 (consequently it has a higher pharmacological potency).

Conclusion: The plant extracts have a promising vasorelaxing effect in HUAs, paving the way for future investigations: as applications in diseases related to these vessels, such as preeclampsia.

Keywords: Vasorrelaxant; human umbilical artery; natural products; preeclampsia.; smooth muscle; terpenes and phenylpropanoids.